Freaks Controversy Explained: Was Tod Browning’s 1932 Horror Movie Exploitative Or Progressive? – /Film

Tod Browning brought his own adventures as a circus performer to "Freaks"; starting at 16, he was a roustabout, barker, contortionist, and clown. Instead of casting non-disabled actors and using makeup or special effects, Tod Browning wanted to use the kind of persons with disabilities that he knew from his work experience and childhood fascination with carnivals.This comfortability allowed him to establish a good working relationship with the "freaks" ensemble.

However, not everyone at MGM was friendly towards them. When studio president Louis B. Mayer saw the sideshow entertainers, he was reportedly "horrified" and tried to have the picture shut down; producer Irving Thalberg had to convince him otherwise.The studio heads wanted to ease the ableist tensions between the performers on set,so the actors with disabilities were unfairly segregated in a tent when not filming scenes. They also ate in a separate cafeteria so that "people could get to eat in the commissary without throwing up," story editor Samuel Marx harshly stated (via "Hideous Progeny: Disability, Eugenics, and Classic Horror Cinema"by Angela Smith).There was little to no inclusivity on set and the able-bodied cast and crew made the carnival performers feel ashamed of their differences.

The circus performers with disabilities were most likely paid less than the able-bodied stars and only offered a middling amount. Johnny Eck waspaid around $35, the equivalent to $756.91 today. On the other hand, Browning boasted that he was paid around $150,000, but Horror Film History says that may have been a "showman's exaggeration." Nevertheless, there was clearly a hard line drawn between the disabled and able-bodied performers in both professional compensation and accommodations, unjustly dividing them.

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Freaks Controversy Explained: Was Tod Browning's 1932 Horror Movie Exploitative Or Progressive? - /Film